Car structure



Oct. 25, 1938. w. M. sHEEHAN .GAR STRUCTURE Filed April 11, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITEDSTATES PATENT Vf `CAR STRUCTURE vWilliam M. Sheehan, Merion, Pa., assigner to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application April-11, 1934seria1N0. 720,005

The invention relates vto a rail vehicle for use in mine, quarry, or similar types of service requiring transportation of bulk material in relativelyv small quantities over uneven-tracks and under conditions where compactness and rigidity of structure are highly desirable.

The invention consists in a car-body floorforming web -and parts associated therewith, the web having general characteristics illustrated and claimed, in part, in my co-pending applications Serial Nos. 594,687, filed February 23, 1932; 616,673, filed Junev 11, 1932; 619,226, iiled June 25, 1932; 622,927, iiled July 1,6, 1932, and 635,904; led October 3, 1932. l

One of the objects of the present invention is` commodate inequalities in the track Without unduly stressing the car oor-framing.

Another object is to facilitate the locking of the car to a dumping machineV by means \of Wheel gripping latches.

Other objects are to minimize the car Weight Without decreasing its capacity or strength as re quired for useful service under the Y conditionsl mentioned and at the same timerto provide long life at lovv maintenance expense.

Other objects of the invention will b-e apparent from the detail description of the structure and its functions and from inspection of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in Whichv Figure 1 is a top view` of one form of a car body-forming floor web and associated structure.`

Figure2 is a side elevation of the same and includes superstructure not shown in Figure 1J i Figure 3 is an end elevation of the c ar shown in Figure 2.

Figures 4 and 5 are vertical transversesections n taken on the corresponding section lines'of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged; detail side elevation of one of the wheel axle mounting pedestals. Y

Figure 7 is a detail longitudinal section taken on the line'l-l of Figure 5. l

Figure k8 isi a longitudinal detail section'itaken on the. line 8-8 of Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a detail horizontal section taken onl and diagonal sections taken on the corresponding section linesof Figure 12; Y

Figure k17 corresponds to Figure 12'v but illustrates another form of theinvention.-

Figure-'18 isan endview and a vertical transverse section taken on'the line l8-I8 ofFigure 17. Y

Figures 19 and 20 arevertical longitudinal sections taken on the corresponding section lines of Figure 17. f Y

Figure y21`is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 17. Y

Figure 22 isfa top vievv'of "one longitudinal half of a body door-forming web and associated structure embodying another lform'of the invention.

lFigure 23 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 24 is a vertical transverse section taken onthe line 24--24 of Figure 22.Y

Figure 25 is a top View of one-half of one end ofa body floor-forming web plate embodying another form of the invention. l

Figure 26 is a side elevation of the same.

'Figure 27 is a vertical transverse section taken ori-.the line 21--21 of Figure 25.

Each forni of the invention preferably comprises asingle-ca'sting forming a seamless web plate from end toen'd andfrom side to side of the vehicle andA shaped to provide reinforcing sill-like elements andincluding asintegral parts thereof Wheel mounting pedestal structure, draft gear pockets, rbrake mountingsvand other members as Willbe referred to later.

In Figures 1- to 11, inclusive,fthe web plate in f extending' adi acent end; of the; car: and.A over the .end sill 5y and draft pocket structure when the car is tilted bodily. This end 0f the car is provided with a movable door 6 mounted on the car side walls 'I which are carried by the .upturned ange 8 extending along the two sides and the other end of the web plate.

At the sides of member I are angular sill-like structures comprising upright elements II and horizontal elements9`, portions of which are elevated to extend over the wheels IU. 'I'he upright element II extends upwardly from the central floor I throughout most of the length of the latter, extends both upwardly and downwardly from theY inner part of the inclined portion 3 of the central floor, and extends downwardly from the outer part of the inclined portion 3 and the end sill 5.

Cylindrical bosses I2 project outwardly from sill elements II to receive. theinner ends of axles 2. Pedestals I3 depend from the outer portions of the side floors or sill elements 9 and terminate in cylindrical sleeves I4 for receiving the outer ends of axles 2. Sill elements Il areoffset outwardly beyond the bosses I2, adjacent the dumping end of the car, as indicated at I5, to form diverging side wall-structures avoiding crowding of the load when the car is dumped notwithstanding the upward inclination of 'the floor at 3 and thereby facilitating the passage of the load lengthwise of the car.

Where the side floors 9 and the tops of sills II merge with the inclined floor 3, as at I6, the sillsV converge towards each other, as indicated at I'I, and merge with the side walls I8 of the draft pocket structure which includes a rear wall I9. A plurality of vertical ribs extend rearwardly from wall` I 9 and merge withthe inclined floor 3, and horizontal webs 2I connect the lower portions of the convergingsills I'I with the outer ribs 20. This floor'silland rib structure is adequate for receiving draft and bufiin-g forces and transmitting them throughout the wide web structure and eliminates Vheavy reinforcing members which, if present,k would Lcut down the capacity of the car and increase the weight thereof.

Bosses I,2 and yslleeveswM are provided with renewable bushings 22 and preferably each bushing inner surface is elongated vertically (Figure 7) providing for vertical play of the axle 2 therein. A spring seat y23 is located above each boss and sleeve and includes a-depending pin 24 which projects through openin-gs therefor in the boss or sleeve and the corresponding bushing and rests upon the axle 2; 1

Springs 25 are compressed between movable seats 23 and fixed seats 26 therefor on the bottom of side floor 9. This arrangement enables the wheels rto drop into depressions in the. track without unduly straining the floor framing structure. The axles are stationary in their mountings, the wheels being rotatably mounted upon the axles in anycustomary manner, preferably by means of an anti-friction device.

The outer end of each axle is enlarged at 2'Il The opposite portion 33 of the pedestal extends horizontally and diagonally from the axle receiving sleeveup to the side floor 9, thus bracing the axle bearing longitudinally of the car.

This arrangement accommodates the application and removal of latches 34 by which the car is locked to the dumping machine whereby the car is tilted to discharge its load.

The side floor 9 is recessed upwardly over wheels I Il to accommodate the latter and to mount brake rigging 35 between the wheels. Beyond the wheels, side floor 9 extends at a lower level,

thereby increasing the capacity of the car. The upstanding flange 8 at the edge of the side floor extends downwardly vadjacent the wheels to form a portion ofthe pedestal structure which also forms a housing for the outer spring 25.

Figures 12 to 16 illustrate a modified structure particularlyV adapted for cars which are dumped by rotating the same about a longitudinally extending axis instead of dumping the load through an end of the car. Withsuch a car it is unnecessary` to have the long sloping end floor. portion described above. The comparatively horizontal end floor portion 40 is located at a lower level than the draft gear vpocket 4I which is Wholly beyond the end wall of the car. This provides increased ,capacity but isv not so well adapted to resist bufng forces due to the offsettingof the center line of draft and the floor web forming the framing which must resist or absorb the draft forces. VAccordingly, the upright webs 42 between the center floor 40 and the side floors 43 while having diagonal terminals 44 merging with ther draft gear pocket 4I, are reinforced byadditional elements 45 and 46 whereby diagonal sills of inverted U-section extend from the sides of the draft gear pocket outwardly and rearwardly lto the web plate. Relatively short vertical ribs 41 cooperate with the diagonal sills to distribute the draft forces. In this construction the upright flange 48 for mounting the superstructure extends entirely` around the car floor and forms a part of the end sill.

Figures 17 to 21 illustrate another form of the invention in which the end portion of the center floor 5|! is inclined more abruptly than shown in the structure of Figures 1` to 12, but less so than in the structure ofFigures 12 to 16. This is due to the location of the draft pocket 5I which extends inwardly of the Aend wall and isuat a relatively lower level thanv in the form previously described,V and the diagonal sills 52, merging at their forwarden'ds with'the draft gear pocket, extend outwardly to the sides of the car and merge at their rear ends with the axle box pedestals 53 directly beneath the outer edge of the upper floor 54. Sills 52 have flanges 55 and theseA flanges and side floors 54 contribute toa channel-shaped sill structure for transmitting the draft and buflng forces, a greater proportion of which are carriedthrough the diagonal members and the side portions of the underframe than in the'structures described previously.

The car shown inFigures22 to.24 utilizes an end floor 6U and diagonal sill structure 6I similar to that illustrated in the form of Figures 1 to 12, but the axle mounting pedestals are distinctive in that they are substantially of V formationr with the apex rof each V forming the axle-receiving sleeve 62 and the upwardly diverging front and rear edges` 63 of the Ypedestal merging with the side floors 64 to bracethe axle-mounting sleeves longitudinally ofthev car. This arrangement is intended for use where the dumping machine brackets illustrated in Figure 2 are not to be applied.

The modification illustrated in Figures 25 to 27 involves a car in which the side floors 10 project a substantially greater distance beyond the wheels 'll than in the forms previously described. This makes it possible to obtain increased capacity by locating the side oors 1B at a lower level than in the previous forms, there being relatively restricted upward recesses 13 in the side i'loors for receiving the upper portions of the wheels. The outer axle bearing mountings 14 are little more than bosses on the lower face of the side floor although reinforcing ribs 15 and 'I6 may be used to advantage. Due to the width of the car and the relatively shallow depth of the vertical web 11 between the center floor 18 and the side iloors 12, it is desirable to provide diagonal sill elements in addition to the diagonal offset between the floor portions and this requirement is met by the provision of a vertical web 19 resembling the web 46 in the form shown in Figures 12 to 16.

The axle mounting shown in Figure 27 omits the renewable bushing previously described, and this modification may be applied to each of the other forms of the invention. It will be understood that various features shown on only one of the modications may be substituted in, or added to, the other structures illustrated and that other modiiications in the details of construction may .be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and exclusive use of such variations in structure coming within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim:

l. In a car of the class described, a center floor inclined upwardly near one end of the car and longitudinal sill elements at the sides of said floor oiset outwardly near said end and projecting downwardly from the inclined portion of said floor near said end, the oor and sill arrangement mentioned facilitating the discharge of the load through the end wall of the car, and sill elements converging towards each other from the end of said oiset elements to better receive and distribute draft and buing forces applied to the car near the longitudinal center line thereof.

2. In a car of the class described, wheels and axles, a floor-forming seamless web located below the level of said axles between said wheels but inclined upwardly near one end of the car, sillforming elements having portions extending upwardly from the lower level part of said web and having portions extending downwardly from the inclined part of said web, the upwardly extending portions of said elements diverging near said car end to facilitate dumping the car load through the end wall, and the downwardly extending portions of said elements converging nearer to said car end to better transmit buiiing and draft forces applied to the car near the longitudinal center line thereof.

3. In a car of the class describedy a floor web structure including upright parts forming longitudinal sill elements provided with inside axle bearings, said sill elements at one end of the car being offset diagonally outwardly of thefcar` center line beyond the vertical planes of said bearings and then converging diagonally towards each other and terminating in a centrally located draft gear pocket.

4. In a car of the class described. a draft pocket, a. web plate forming a low level center floor and relatively high level side floors and upright silllike elements between said floors, said elements near the end of the car converging towards each other to merge with said'draft pocket, and vertical members paralleling the converging portions of said elements and spaced outwardly therefrom and connected therewith to form relatively heavier diagonal sill structure for distributing draft and buing forces. Y

5. In a car of the class described, a web plate forming a low level central floor portion and relatively elevated side floor portions, an upright element between them, said side floor portions extending from end to end of the car, and an end sill, a draft pocket structure extending outwardly from said end sill, and members of inverted U- shaped section extending diagonally from said draft pocket structure outwardly and rearwardly, parts of said members merging with the elevated side floor portions of said web platev and one of the legs of each of said members constituting an extension of said upright element longitudinally of the car beyond said web plate.

6. In a car of the class described, traction wheels, a floor-forming web rplate offset adjacent said wheels to provide an elevated portion overlying said wheels, pedestals depending from said elevated portion outwardly of said wheels to mount the axles of said wheels, draft pocket structure at the longitudinal center of the'end of said web, and diagonal members extending directly from the rearcorners of said draft pocket structure to said pedestals. .A

7; Structure as specified in claim 6 in which the end portion of the floor-forming web is inclined upwardly to extend over the diagonal members and to merge with the upper part of the draft pocket structure, and reinforcing rib-like elements bracing said web end portion and the inner Wall of said draftpocket structure. Y

8. In a car of the `class described, a central iloor portion, a side floor portion in a plane above that of said central floor portion and including wheel hood structure, and pedestals formed within and depending from said structure and each including a portion for receiving a wheel axle and each provided with a spring pocket locatedV on the vertical center line of said portion.V

9. In a railway car, a car bottom comprising a unitary casting including a central iloor portion, side floor portions extending horizontally above the level of the center oor portion and WILLIAM M. `SI-IIEIEI-IAN. 

